Road Congestion

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in improving traffic management to ease road congestion.

Stephen Ladyman: Under the Traffic ManagementAct 2004 local authorities in England have a duty to manage traffic on their road network, co-ordinate street works and manage parking enforcement. We are consulting on proposals regarding network management duties that will ensure authorities do all they can to tackle congestion and keep traffic moving on their roads.
	Traffic officers are helping to keep traffic moving, ease congestion and ensure safety, primarily on English motorways.

Aircraft Emissions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of how much carbon dioxide is produced on average by an individual aircraft per mile travelled, broken down by aircraft type; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions produced will vary by model of plane, aircraft types and according to factors such as journey lengths, passenger loadings and weather conditions. The information is therefore not collected in the form requested.
	However, the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs publish estimates of CO2 emissions from aircraft, as set out in their Company Reporting Manual. The manual is available on the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/envrp/gas/envr pgas-annexes,pdf

Departmental Documents

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much it cost to research, write and publish  (a) "A New Deal for Transport" (July 1998),  (b) "Transport 2010—the 10 Year Plan",  (c) "Delivering Better Transport: Progress Report" (December 2002) and  (d) "The Future of Transport: a Network for 2030" (July 2004).

Gillian Merron: Research and writing of the latter three documents were carried out as part of civil servants' normal duties. Design and printing costs were:
	
		
			   £ 
			 "Transport 2010-The Ten-Year Plan" 46,659 
			 "Delivering Better Transport—Progress Report" 43,999 
			 "The Future of Transport" 52,377 
		
	
	Information on the costs of "A New Deal for Transport" cannot be traced without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the carbon emissions of his Department; what commitment he has made to reducing such emissions; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: On 12 June Government launched new targets for sustainable operations on the Government estate, including ones to reduce carbon emissions. The Department for Transport is currently assessing its position against these targets and will publish performance data in due course.
	Our performance in respect of the 2004-05 financial year can be found in the Sustainable Development Commissions report "Leading by example?".

Media Analysis Reports

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department produces a the monthly media analysis report.

Gillian Merron: The Department's use of the services provided by its media analysis contractor ended in February 2006. We are currently reviewing how we measure the effectiveness of our communications.
	All the media analysis reports can be found on the DfT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/divisionhomepage/610943.hcsp
	and at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/divisionhomepage/041073.hcsp

Motorway Surface Noise

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what criteria an area is assessed for its eligibility for motorway surface noise alleviation.

Stephen Ladyman: Resurfacing of strategic roads, including motorways, is carried out when maintenance of the existing surface is required on safety grounds or as a result of general wear and tear caused by traffic. When resurfacing is required, quieter surfacing materials are used as a matter of course.
	Noise barriers have been installed on existing strategic roads where serious and pressing cases of high levels of traffic noise experienced by nearby residents have been identified and where there has been no early prospect of quieter surfacing materials being laid,. These cases, which were listed on 11 November 1999,  Official Report, columns 681-83W, were identified using criteria announced by the Minister on 22 March 1999, based on calculated noise levels and road opening dates.

Rural Bus Services

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services have been lost in Suffolk in each of the past five years.

Gillian Merron: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) do not keep the statistics requests by county. They do, however, compile this information according to traffic area. The number of new and cancelled bus services by traffic area from 1998-2005 were provided in an answer give by my predecessor on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 2505-6W.
	The following table shows the figures for 2005-06 which are now available.
	
		
			  Traffic area  New  Cancelled 
			 North Eastern 578 554 
			 North Western 652 546 
			 Eastern (incorporating Suffolk) 579 454 
			 West Midlands 488 407 
			 Welsh 268 213 
			 Western 559 468 
			 South Eastern plus Metropolitan 210 157 
			 Scotland 385 511

Alcoholism

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support his Department provides for children and families affected by alcoholism in  (a) England,  (b) the north-east,  (c) the Tees Valley and  (d) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are taking robust action to reduce significantly the numbers of young people affected by substance misuse, (including alcohol). The Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and Department of Health agreed a joint approach to the development of universal, targeted and specialist services to prevent drug harm and to ensure that all children and young people are able to reach their potential. This will often cover a wide range of substances, including alcohol and volatile substances and is supported by a ring fenced budget—The Young People's Substance Misuse Partnership Grant.
	In addition, the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, led by the Home Office, aims to minimise harm caused by alcohol and tackle adult problem drinking. The strategy includes a work theme on young people and parents.
	Arrangements for safeguarding children and promoting their welfare have been strengthened through the Every Child Matters reform. The Children Act 2004 places a duty on local authority children's services departments to protect children from significant harm, including from alcohol misusing parents.
	Over the past two years the Government Office for the North East's Drugs and Crime team has led a major regional initiative aimed at developing effective multi-agency responses for children and families affected by parental substance misuse. All 12 local authorities are participating in this and many have developed local networks to plan and implement effective support services.
	Specifically within Tees Valley, five authorities have developed a range of services for children and families affected by parental substance misuse.
	Middlesbrough have just established a project—Families First—dedicated to supporting families where parental alcohol or misuse threatens the safety and well-being of the children in the family. The Government are funding on evaluation of the project in order to develop the evidence base on interventions with these young people.

Further Education Courses

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students did not complete further education courses they had started in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: Figures on students failing to complete courses are best expressed as percentages. Some poorer quality data are excluded, so although rates are accurate, numbers are less so.
	Retention rates in Further Education (FE) institutions and completion rates in Work Based Learning (WBL) are published annually in a Learning and Skills Council Statistical First Release:
	(http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000649/index .shtml)
	FE figures for 1999/00 (the earliest year for which comparable data are available) to 2004/05 (the latest year for which data is published) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage of proportion of courses not completed in FE institutions 
			 1999/2000 22 
			 2000/01 20 
			 2001/02 17 
			 2002/03 17 
			 2003/04 15 
			 2004/05 14 
		
	
	WBL figures for 2000/01 to 2004/05 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage of proportion of full frameworks not completed in WBL 
			 2001/02 76 
			 2002/03 73 
			 2003/04 69 
			 2004/05 60

School Playing Fields

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many school playing fields there were in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2006; and how many square feet this represented in each year;
	(2)  how many square feet of property belonging to educational establishments has been sold since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not held centrally. Data on school playing fields was requested from local authorities in 2001 and 2003 but the data was incomplete and of variable quality, and it was not possible to accurately assess the number and area of school playing fields.
	Since 1998, there have been 228 applications that involve the sale of an area of grassed land that could comprise a school sports pitch. Of these, 43 have been rejected or the application withdrawn. 175 applications have been approved and the other 10 are still under consideration. Of the 175 approved applications, 73 related to playing fields at closed or closing schools. Prior to 1998 there was no regulation of the sale of school playing fields at local authority controlled schools.

Special Educational Needs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the name and address is of each special needs school in  (a) Essex and  (b) each London borough; who the head teacher of each is; how many pupils are attending each; when each opened; and when each was last inspected by Ofsted.

Jim Knight: A table detailing the name and address of each special needs school in  (a) Essex and  (b) each London borough; together with the name of the head teacher; the number of pupils; the opening date; and when each was last inspected by Ofsted has been placed in the Commons Library.
	The figures given in the table include special schools maintained by local authorities together with non-maintained special schools and independent special schools. Ofsted have included the inspection type for your information. It is regretted that data on school opening dates is not available to the Department prior to 1997.

University Lecturers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage change in the number of university lecturers was in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Academic staff( 1)  employed in English Higher Education Institutions 
			  Academic year  Number of academic staff  % change 
			 1997/98 104,470 — 
			 1998/99 106,210 17 
			 1999/2000 110,615 4.1 
			 2000/01 114,060 3.1 
			 2001/02 116,785 2.4 
			 2002/03 119,495 2.3 
			 2003/04 (2) 124,140 — 
			 2004/05 134,130 8.0 
			 (1) Staff figures are on the basis of staff with active contracts in the reporting period.(2) Up until 2002/03 the staff record only included academic staff with a full-time equivalent greater than 25 per cent. as from 2003/04, all academic staff were included. Therefore, the numbers for 2003/04 and 2004/05 are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) staff record data.

Women Engineers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of women studying engineering at university level in each of the last 10 years; what employment opportunities in engineering were available on completion of their course; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) report the number of women studying engineering at university level over the past 10 years in England as follows:
	
		
			   Number of women 
			 1994/05 8,265 
			 1995/06 8,385 
			 1996/07 7,586 
			 1997/08 7,435 
			 1998/99 7,500 
			 1999/2000 7,530 
			 2000/01 7,895 
			 2001/02 7,810 
			 2002/03 7,352 
			 2003/04 7,910 
			 2004/05 7,325 
		
	
	This represents a small increase, from 10.6 per cent. in 1994/95 to 11.8 per cent. in 2004/05, in the proportion of women studying engineering subjects.
	With respect to employment opportunities in engineering the Destinations of Leavers data collected by HESA over the period 1994/95—2003/04, shows that:
	12.1 per cent. of female graduates in engineering entered "work only";
	15.8 per cent. went into a "combination of work and further study"; and
	14.5 per cent. went into "further study only".
	The key initiative of the Government's strategy on women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) is the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET (UKRC), funded through the Office of Science and Innovation (OSI) with £6.7 million from the science budget plus £325,000 for a dedicated undergraduate package from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
	The Centre carries out a co-ordinated strategy, including:
	championing best practice;
	a recognition scheme for good SET employers;
	raising the profile of women in SET;
	support for women undergraduates (DfES have committed £315,000 to this project);
	supporting SET returners;
	setting up the GetSET database (this holds contact details for women who have agreed to promote SET topics and the role of women in SET);
	co-ordinating the work of the women in SET organisations;
	and pump-priming for innovative initiatives e.g. mentoring and networking.
	There are also examples of positive action by employers. Where Women Want to Work.com website scrutinises the gender policies of companies against a set of attributes one of which is innovative recruitment. Some examples are:
	Accenture ensures women are represented at all the graduate recruitment events and at interviews and they try and allocate female buddies at those reaching second round interviews for guidance to ensure the process is as supportive as possible;
	BP run gender and diversity workshops for interviewers and assessors involved in university and other recruitment;
	Shell advertise in Cosmopolitan magazine to broaden their market reach and invited university careers advisors and female students to a women's network conference and in 2005 held Working Women's Roadshows at four UK universities.

Advertising Campaigns

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what advertising campaigns his office has run since July 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office(Mr. McFadden) today.

Post Office Services

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why small post offices are no longer able to provide television licences; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The BBC awarded "Paypoint" the contract for over-the counter sales of television licences. The decision was a commercial one made by the BBC as the television licensing authority looking to the interests of licence fee payers and seeking to ensure the best deal for the public in this capacity.

Advance Market Commitment

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which G8 countries support the Advance Market Commitment concept;
	(2)  which organisations have made representations to his Department  (a) in support of and  (b) against the Advance Market Commitment concept;
	(3)  what representations he has  (a) made to and  (b) received from his G8 counterparts on implementing the pilot Advance Market Commitment confirmed by the Italian Finance Minister at the G8 Finance Ministers' meeting in June;
	(4)  what progress has been made towards the launch of an Advance Market Commitment pilot project by the end of 2006;
	(5)  what funds the UK has allocated for the G8 commitment for the launch of an Advance Market Commitment pilot project by the end of 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The UK has been working with other G8 countries on Advance Market Commitments (AMCs), which are feasible, innovative, and cost-effective market-based tools in the fight against global disease and poverty. Working with the World Bank and GAVI, the G8 have conducted extensive outreach and consultation with stakeholders and experts in the global health community. At their June Meeting in St. Petersburg, G8 Finance Ministers stated that they look forward to a successful launch of the AMC pilot project by the end of this year. The cost of a pilot AMC will be determined following the choice of disease and further technical discussions with partner countries.

Bank Accounts

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of adults in  (a) Beverley and Holderness and  (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire currently have a bank account; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The most recent data available that allows assessment to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account is the Family Resources Survey from 2002-03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. This data is broken down to Government Office regional level. This shows 9 per cent. of households in Yorkshire and the Humber were unbanked.
	In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress. The Taskforce recently made its first annual report, which concluded that steady progress has been made towards the goal but also encouraged banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.

Civil Service

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the UK civil service post reductions announced in the July 2004 spending review will be made in Wales by 2008.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury does not centrally hold data showing which departments intend to make work force reductions in Wales as part of the SR04 efficiency programme. Departments are responsible for managing their work force strategies and for implementing their SR04 work force reduction targets.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on cavity wall insulation in his Department in each financial year since 1997-98.

John Healey: Nothing. The Treasury building at1 Horse Guards Road has solid walls.

Financial Literacy

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Citizens Advice Bureau on financial exclusion; and what partnerships he is aiming to put in place to improve financial literacy in  (a) schools and  (b) wider society.

Edward Balls: My department has regular contact with the Citizens Advice Bureau on financial inclusion issues.
	Improving financial literacy is being taken forward through the FSA led National Strategy for Financial Capability. The FSA is working in partnership not only with Government, but also with the financial services industry and the voluntary sector, including Citizens Advice Bureaux, to create a step change in financial capability in schools and wider society.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written answers to parliamentary questions to the Department have taken longer than 10 days to answer in each year since 1997.

John Healey: 10 days has no particular significance in relation to the answering of parliamentary questions. Indeed, as any period often days will include at least one weekend and may also include other days on which the House of Commons is not sitting and questions cannot be answered, it is a meaningless yardstick against which to measure performance in answering questions. With that important caveat, the information sought by the hon. Member for each session since 1997-98 is given as follows:
	
		
			  Session  Answers given after more than 10 days  Percentage of all answers 
			 1997-98 1,110 28.0 
			 1998-99 653 30.8 
			 1999-2000 584 22.1 
			 2000-01 389 32.2 
			 2001-02 1,237 22.5 
			 2002-03 940 25.7 
			 2003-04 701 22.1 
			 2004-05 279 20.1 
			 2005-06(1) 1,164 23.6 
		
	
	The proportion of written answers given by the Treasury within the timescales set by the House (that is to say, on the nominated day in the case of named day questions and within a working week of tabling for ordinary questions) in each of the last three sessions is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Session  Named day questions  Ordinary questions 
			 2003-04 74.7 79.6 
			 2004-05 79.4 84.3 
			 2005-06(1) 72.6 79.0 
			 (1) Up to 30 June 2006

Taxation Revenue

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised in taxation in each year since 1976; and what the budget surplus or deficit was in each year.

Stephen Timms: Data on tax revenues and Government borrowing from 1976 onwards is available in the "Key Fiscal Aggregates" table and Table C1 in the Public Finances Databank. This is available on the Her Majesty's Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm_treasury.gov.uk/economic_data_and_tools/finance_spending_statistics/pubsec_finance/psf_statistics.cfm

Unemployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) total and  (b) percentage rate of (i) unemployment, (ii) long-term unemployment and (iii) youth unemployment was in each constituency in each of the last 10 years, grouped by region.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 11 July 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (79828)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Tables 1 to 5, attached, show estimates for each parliamentary constituency in great Britain, for the 12 month periods ending in February from 1997 to 2004 from the annual LFS, and for the12 months ending December 2004 from the APS. Table 1 shows the number of unemployed aged 16 and over resident in each constituency; Table 2 shows unemployment rates; Table 3 shows the number of long-term (more than 12 months) unemployed; Table 4 shows the number of unemployed aged 16 to 24 and Table 5 shows the unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year-to-year should be treated with particular caution.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Tables 6 to 10, attached, show annual averages for claimants of JSA resident in each constituency in the United Kingdom for 1996 to 2005. Table 6 shows the total number of claimants; Table 7 shows the number of claimants as a proportion of the resident population of working age; Table 8 shows the number of claimants claiming JSA for over 12 months; Table 9 shows the number claiming over 12 months as a proportion of the working-age population and Table 10 shows the number of people aged 18 to 24 claiming JSA. Proportions for the 18 to 24 age group are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	Since the information is so extensive, copies of these tables have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Judiciary

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps she is taking to increase diversity in the judiciary.

Harriet Harman: The Judicial Diversity Strategy was announced to Parliament on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 57WS and sets out how the Department of Constitutional Affairs, the Judicial Appointments Commission and the judiciary will work together to increase the diversity of the judiciary.
	The strategy will: promote judicial service and widen the range of people eligible to apply for judicial office; encourage a wider range of applicants, to ensure the widest possible choice of candidates for selection; promote diversity through fair and open processes for selection to judicial office solely on merit; and, will ensure that the culture and working environment for judicial office holders encourages and supports a diverse judiciary and increases understanding of the communities served.

Legal Profession (Complaints)

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  how many solicitors have refused to accept decisions of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in each of the last10 years;
	(2)  what rights of redress are available to those who have won decisions at both the Law Society Adjudication Panel and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal;
	(3)  what sanctions are available against solicitors who refuse to accept decisions of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal;

Bridget Prentice: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Bridget Prentice to John Mann:
	Depending on the matter in question, respondents before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal have an automatic right, under the Solicitors Act 1974, of appeal to the Master of the Rolls or the High Court. The information on the number of appeals against decisions by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for the last 10 years is unavailable, however, the figures for the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of appeals 
			 2001 9 
			 2002 8 
			 2003 10 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 9 
		
	
	In the absence of an appeal, an order of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is immediately enforceable as a High Court order. If the solicitor is fined by the Tribunal, the fine is enforced by the Treasury Solicitor—through the courts if necessary. If the solicitor is struck off or suspended from practice, that decision would be immediately recorded with the Law Society and the solicitor would be unable to practise. In the event that he continued to practise as a solicitor following an order suspending him or striking him off the Roll of Solicitors, he would be committing a criminal offence under the Solicitors Act and may be prosecuted in the criminal courts.
	The Law Society's Adjudication Panel deals with redress issues and is able to award complainants up to £15,000 in compensation. If a solicitor refuses to accept a decision of the Adjudication Panel, including a decision that he pay compensation, it is open to the Society to prosecute him/her before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. The Tribunal cannot award compensation, but if the Law Society has previously awarded compensation, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal can make that award enforceable as a High Court order.

Magistrates Courts

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the facilities available for victims and witnesses in magistrates courts.

Harriet Harman: In 2005 "Priority Minimum Standards" (e.g. availability of reading materials, witness room routinely cleaned) and "Desirable Minimum Standards" (e.g. en-suite toilet facilities in witness waitingrooms, video/DVD equipment provided) for witness accommodation were developed and defined in consultation with key stakeholders. To establish how existing waiting facilities met up to these standards, an audit was undertaken in all Crown and magistrates courts in July 2005. Subsequent to that audit, additional funding totalling over £3 million was allocated between the regions to improve facilities where the standards were not being met. A further audit will be undertaken during the summer to ascertain how witness waiting rooms measure up against the standards now that this funding has been spent.

Child Support

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Support Agency will reclaim from the Treasury monies wrongly deducted for maintenance payments from a constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead (reference PCU/156249/RVI/LCP, case number, 321030812331).

James Plaskitt: holding answer 6 July 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Hilary Reynolds, dated 11 July 2006:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently unavailable, I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Support Agency will reclaim from the Treasury monies wrongly deducted for maintenance payments from a constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead (reference PCU/156249/RVI/LCP case number 321030812331.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Child Support

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instruct the Child Support Agency to reconsider its decision not to provide child maintenance for Mrs. Lynda Gould of Buckfast on the basis that her son's father is in the Territorial Army; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 4 July 2006
	The Secretary of State cannot get involved in individual cases and therefore is unable to instruct the Child Support Agency to reconsider its decision.
	Members of the Territorial Army are not automatically exempt from paying child support maintenance. Child support calculations do not take account of any payment made in respect of the performance of duties as a member of the Territorial Army. Such members, in common with those who serve communities in similar occupations such as lifeboat crew or part-time firefighters, tend to undertake these activities in addition to their main occupation. Child support will take account of earnings from that main job and any other net weekly income.
	We are making further investigations into how the relevant legislation should be applied in this case. The chief executive of the Child Support Agency will write to you and your constituent once we have completed that investigation.

Mesothelioma

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines have been issued on awarding compensation to mesothelioma sufferers who have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 June 2006
	The Department introduced regulations and procedures on 29 July 2002 that deem people suffering from mesothelioma to be 100 per cent. disabled from the outset. The change ensures that customers receive the maximum amount of IIDB from the earliest possible date. Procedures were also changed to remove the need for a separate examination on behalf of the Department where the disease has already been diagnosed.
	These changes are in addition to the existing fast track arrangements for dealing with claims from customers suffering from other asbestos related diseases and ensure that they are dealt with maximum speed and minimum intervention from the Department.
	They can also make a compensation claim under the Pneumoconiosis (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 where there is no relevant employer to pursue.
	In relation to civil claims for damages, the Judicial Studies Board publishes guidelines for the judiciary on the assessment of damages for pain and suffering in personal injury cases. These are based on decided cases and do not cover any damages that may be awarded for other elements of the claim, such as loss of earnings. The latest edition of the guidelines indicates that an award of between £45,000 and £70,000 is appropriate in mesothelioma cases.

Pension Credit

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of pensioners in West Lancashire  (a) entitled to and  (b) receiving pension credit.

James Purnell: Estimates of eligibility are not available below the level of Great Britain. As at February 2006, there were 6,030 pension credit individual beneficiaries in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency.
	 Notes
	1. These figures are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figures provided are the latest available figures which are taken from the QMS scan at 17 February 2006. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.
	2. The number of individual beneficiaries is rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Parliamentary constituency is assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	4. The number of individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.
	 Source
	DWP: 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (QMS). Pension credit scan taken as at 17 February 2006.

Pensions

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the net present cost is of reinstating the pensions of those pension scheme members covered by the recommendations of the parliamentary ombudsman.

James Purnell: We estimate that the net present value of the cost of implementing the ombudsman's proposals is between around £2.9 billion and£3.7 billion.

Departmental Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate she has made of the carbon emissions of her Department; what commitment she has made to reducing such emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 and no assessment of its carbon emissions has yet been undertaken. In 2005 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister produced approximately 5,000 tonnes of absolute carbon emissions, as reported in the 2005 Sustainable Development in Government report. These emissions were calculated through the energy consumed across the estate; this included ODPM properties and Executive Agencies but excluded the Government Office Network.
	In addition to the carbon emissions produced through energy consumption, ODPM produced an estimated further 360 tonnes of absolute carbon emissions through business road travel in 2005.
	The Department of Communities and Local Government has commenced a carbon management programme with The Carbon Trust. The aim of the programme is to mobilise the Department and its agencies in working towards reducing carbon emissions across the estate. This will involve identifying energy efficiency quick wins, as well as devising long-term strategies and business opportunities to ensure increased sustainability across all areas of business.

Design for Manufacture

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated minimum life span is of the properties constructed for the Design for Manufacture competition.

Angela Smith: All bidders were required, as a minimum, to comply with all current building regulations and demonstrate that all of the homes they were proposing to build through the competition would be able to obtain relevant third party approvals, such as from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and building warranty agreements. This is normal industry practice, and assessments for mortgageability are commonly based on a 60-year minimum measure for life span. However, in addition, to ensure that we could explore the whole-life quality of the proposed dwellings the bidders were also required to prepare a table setting out maintenance and replacement costs in use for all homes built under the Design for Manufacture competition based on a period of 60 years.

Sheree Dodd

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments her Department has made to Sheree Dodd out of public funds; and for what purposes.

Angela Smith: The terms of contracts between the Department and individuals are private matters. Sheree Dodd has been working as an interim head of newsfor the Department for Communities and Local Government while a full civil service recruitment process is completed. This is a short-term role and requires a person with expertise and recent knowledge of Whitehall.

Engagements

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she next plans to visit Coventry Cathedral.

Tessa Jowell: I have no specific plans to visit Coventry Cathedral however when I am next in the West Midlands I would be pleased to do so.

Hyde Park Events

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the events held in Hyde Park during the last 12 months for which an attendance fee was payable and for which an area of the park was enclosed; how much  (a) income was generated and  (b) expenditure was spent by the Royal Parks Agency relating to each such event; what arrangements are in place between the Royal Parks Agency and relevant local authorities to reduce the impact of these events on local residents; and whether payments were made to any local authority in relation to these events.

David Lammy: The following table show the number of events that were held in Hyde park, the income derived from them and the cost to The Royal Parks (TRP).
	Under the 2003 Licensing Act The Royal Parks are, from 24 November 2005, required to obtain a licence for events from the local authority. In the case of Hyde park, that is Westminster city council. It is for the local authority to set the limit on the number and size of events and any other conditions it feels relevant. In addition, TRP holds meetings with the local authority, police, transport and other emergency services to agree the arrangements for each event. Details like noise levels are subject to existing guidance and are monitored by the council and the promoter at each event.
	In addition to day-to-day liaison with Westminster city council, TRP officials attend many meetings of residents and amenity societies, and write to local residents and neighbours advising them of the dates, times and other arrangements relating to events.
	The only payment made to any local authority in relation to these events was the fee for the licence, which amounted to £48,100.
	
		
			  Events for which an attendance fee was payable by the public and an area of the park was enclosed, 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 
			  Event
			  2005  Description  Income (fee) (£)  Expenditure (£) 
			 Moonwalk—17 June Charity sponsored walk around London streets, starting and ending in a large marquee in Hyde park 152,500 17,008 
			 02 Wireless Festival—24 to 25 June and 29 to 30 June Ticketed sponsored music festival over four nights. On the Parade Ground. Mix of outdoor stages and dance tents. 283,000 (1)65,890 
			 Queen and Paul Rogers—15 July Ticketed commercial music concert on Parade Ground. 280,000 (1)— 
			 R.E.M.—16 July Ticketed music concert on the Parade Ground 280,000 (1)— 
			 BBC Proms in the Park—10 to 11 September Ticketed music concert on the Parade Ground 132,043 7,374 
			 (1 )Total

Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions she has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Tessa Jowell: I have made 34 regional visits in the last 12 months. Details are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Regions  Times visited 
			 London 12 
			 Wales 1 
			 Scotland 2 
			 North West 4 
			 South East 5 
			 East 2 
			 Yorks and Humbs 1 
			 West Midlands 3 
			 North East 1 
			 Southwest 3

Post Office

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with  (a) other Government departments,  (b) the BBC and  (c) Post Office Limited on the effect on the sub-post office network of the loss of television licence renewal income.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 6 July 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no such discussions. The award of the contract for over the counter sales of television licences is a commercial decision for the BBC (as television licensing authority). Prior to the announcement of the corporation's decision, DCMS officials had been briefed by the BBC, and liaised with officials at the Department for Trade and Industry.

Televisions, Leicester

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Leicester have television receiving equipment; and what proportion receive a signal from  (a) Waltham Television Transmitter (BBC),  (b) Sutton Coldfield Television Transmitter (BBC) and  (c) other BBC transmitters.

Shaun Woodward: Nationally, an estimated 97.6 per cent. of households have television reception equipment. We do not have local figures for Leicester.
	Most viewers in Leicester can get signals either from the Waltham transmitter or from a small transmitter in the city which relays Waltham's signals. The Sutton Coldfield transmitter does overlap Waltham across most of the city and there are a few parts (notably the Wigston area of the city and a section to the south-west of the city centre) where only Sutton Coldfield provides adequate signals.

Census 2011

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when preparatory work began in Northern Ireland for the 2011 Census; and what it will involve.

David Hanson: Preparatory work for the 2011 Census began in Northern Ireland during 2003. in line with developments across the rest of the UK. The work involved includes (i) reviewing and evaluating key aspects of the 2001 Census operation, (ii) developing, testing and evaluating new topics/questions, enumeration procedures and statistical methodologies, (iii) procuring systems and services to assist with the data collection, processing and output phases of the Census and (iv) consultation with users. Proposals for the 2011 Census will be brought forward in a White Paper in 2008.

Child Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the action plan for implementation of the Children's and Young People's Strategy will be subject to consultation.

Maria Eagle: I do not intend to consult publicly on the action plan for implementation of the 10-year Strategy for Children and Young People. My priority, as I indicated at the launch, is to publish the action plan as quickly as possible and then get on withthe actions to achieve the six outcomes set out in the strategy. A draft action plan will be considered by the Strategy Planning and Review Group, established to oversee implementation. I will chair the group and membership will include key children's stakeholders. I will also seek the views of members of the All-Party Group, whom I meet with on a regular basis, prior to publication.

Departmental Staff

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled staff Northern Ireland Government Departments have employed in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The information requested is as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Staff employed by Northern Ireland Government Departments who have declared a disability at 1 January each year 
			   NICS staff  NIO HCS staff  Total 
			 1997 435 n/a 435 
			 1998 414 n/a 414 
			 1999 911 n/a 911 
			 2000 856 n/a 856 
			 2001 1,245 n/a 1,246 
			 2002 1,249 5 1,254 
			 2003 1,247 6 1,253 
			 2004 1,295 10 1,305 
			 2005 1,363 9 1,372 
			 2006 1,409 10 1,419 
			 n/a = Not applicable Notes:1. Table shows staff employed by NI Government Departments and departmental agencies and includes industrial staff, casual staff and Home Civil Service (HSC) staff employed in NIO. (Figures for NIO HCS staff prior to 2001 could not be made available within the timescale for this question.2. Figures for 1997 and 1998 show those staff who were registered as disabled. Figures for 1999 to 2006 show those staff who declared a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It is impossible to say with authority whether all staff with disabilities have declared it; anecdotal evidence is that an unknown number has not.3. In August 2000, the Northern Ireland civil service conducted a survey of staff and encouraged those staff who had a disability to declare it at that time. Since then all new staff have been required to declare whether or not they have a disability.

Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average effective tax rate that will be levied from April 2007 under the new system of domestic rates; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It is estimated that the effective tax rate to be levied on households in Northern Ireland under the new discrete capital values system in April 2007 will be £6.33 for every £1,000 of capital value. This estimate is based on a 6 per cent. increase for the Regional rate, which has already been announced in the draft Priorities and Budget 2006-08 and an assumption of a 6 per cent. increase in the average district council rate. District councils are wholly responsible for setting the district rate in each of the 26 council areas and this broad assumption is made against a background of a 5.8 per cent. average increase in District rates over the last three years.
	In order to smooth the transition to the new system assistance will be provided through relief schemes, firstly for those facing significant increases and secondly for those on low incomes beyond the 20 per cent. of households that are already entitled to a full rebate under housing benefit.

Financial Assistance (Political Parties)

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid per year to each political party in Northern Ireland under the financial assistance to political parties scheme; and whether this funding will end if there is no agreement for a power-sharing Executive by 24 November.

David Hanson: The amount paid per year to each political party under the Financial Assistance to Political Parties Scheme as operated by the Northern Ireland Assembly is set out as follows.
	In terms of future funding, I would refer my hon. Friend to the work plan published with the joint statement made by the Prime Minster and Taoiseach on 29 June 2006, which stated that salaries and allowances for MLAs and financial assistance to parties would stop from 24 November if restoration does not occur by that date.
	
		
			  £ 
			   1998-99  1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Alliance 22,500 35,000 32,000 32,000 66,000 59,372 66,000 
			 Democratic Unionist Party 45,000 60,200 60,090 60,000 123,877 154,230 187,264 
			 Northern Ireland Unionist Party 3,833 29,500 27,400 26,000 27,000 20,192 (1)n/a 
			 Progressive Unionist Party 16,000 24,000 24,000 24,000 54,000 43,000 2,077 
			 Social Democratic and Labour Party 51,000 69,500 68,100 68,000 102,000 84,000 102,000 
			 Sinn Fein 42,000 57,490 56,076 56,000 105,549 126,322 51,403 
			 United Kingdom Unionist Party 22,500 31,500 22,000 22,000 27,000 24,900 27,000 
			 Ulster Unionist Party 57,000 77,100 73,110 72,000 121,269 127,222 168,385 
			 United Unionist Assembly Party 11,333 27,500 26,016 26,000 52,500 35,000 (1)n/a 
			 Northern Ireland Women's Coalition 18,000 25,500 24,000 24,000 54,000 34,000 (1)n/a 
			 (1) These parties did not continue operating following the 2003 NI Assembly election.

Knives

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of knives that are carried in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: It would be impossible to make an estimate of the number of knives carried in Northern Ireland. Knives are used in a variety of professions and for hobbies and pastimes such as camping and diving in a way that does not break the existing laws.
	The Government are however determined to tackle the culture of carrying knives for illegal purposes. One way that we can judge the success of policies, campaigns and initiatives is to note their impact of the recorded crime figures where the use of a knife is involved.
	Current initiatives that seek to address the culture of knife carrying among young people include the year long public information campaign and the education package that will be delivered in post primary schools from September.

Migrant Workers

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to ensure that migrant workers to Northern Ireland have access to information on  (a) health,  (b) social services,  (c) housing and  (d) other public services.

Maria Eagle: Northern Ireland Departments provide a wide range of information and services to migrant workers. Key areas are:
	 Migrant worker access to information on health
	The Department for Health and Social Services and Public Safety is currently developing a booklet for those new to Northern Ireland which provides key information about health and social services and how to access them. This will be made available in a range of languages.
	The Department is currently in discussions regarding the future provision of interpreting, with the aim of meeting the needs of the changing migrant worker communities.
	The Department in collaboration with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland will produce a second edition of the 2003 good practice guide "Racial Equality in Health and Social Care" by March 2007.
	 Migrant worker access to information on social services
	The Social Security Agency has a statutory obligation to ensure that migrant workers have access to social security benefits where they satisfy the necessary conditions. The Agency ensures that migrant workers are, on request, allocated a national insurance number to enable them to pursue legitimate employment or obtain access to social security benefits.
	The Agency publishes benefit information and fact sheets in a number of languages including Arabic, Chinese, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish and works closely with voluntary sector support groups to ensure that information about the benefits system is as widely available as possible.
	Telephone and face to face interpreting and translation services are provided by the Agency to those customers who have difficulty communicating in English.
	 Migrant worker access to information on housing
	The Northern Ireland Housing Executive provides or facilitates the following services to ensure that migrant workers in Northern Ireland have access to information about housing services.
	An interpreter service (language line) is available to all housing executive district office staff.
	The housing executive intranet site includes advice leaflets available in the following languages: French; Lithuanian: Polish; Russian; Mandarin and Cantonese.
	The housing executive provides inter-cultural awareness training to equip its front line staff with the knowledge and skills to deal with culturally-sensitive issues. The training also provides information on support services and organisations assisting migrant workers.
	 Migrant worker access to information on other public services
	Government Departments who provide services to migrant workers are taking similar measures as are being taken on health, social services and housing, some examples include:
	Driver Vehicle Licensing NI (DVLNI) produces leaflets and posters in a number of languages and on a range of issues including how to buy a car, obtain a drivers licence, insurance and use of seat belts.
	Provisions of English for Speakers of other Languages courses are available in Further Education colleges.
	"Language line" interpreting services is provided in all jobs and benefits offices and Jobcentres.
	The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (H and SENI) operates a telephone interpretation service and translation service for customers whose first language is not English. It has also produced a picture booklet on safety in the workplace specifically for migrant workers working in high risk industries.
	A key step that Government are taking is the recent establishment by the Race Forum of a thematic group on migrant workers. This group will examine the work that individual Departments and agencies have been doing to date and identifying those information practices which should be consistent across all Government. It will make recommendations to Ministers in the autumn.

Ministerial Meetings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what dates the Minister for Social Development has met representatives of the  (a) Democratic Unionist Party,  (b) Ulster Unionist Party,  (c) Progressive Unionist Party,  (d) Ulster Political Research Group and  (e) Orange Order in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: The information requested from June 2005-June 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  Party  Dates 
			 DUP 19 July 2005 
			  18 October 2005 
			  21 November 2005 
			  15 March 2005 
			  30 March 2006 
			  8 May 2006 
			  11 May 2006 
			  26 June 2006 
			   
			 UPRG 9 June 2005 
			  19 September 2005 
			  12 December 2005 
			   
			 PUP 21 June 2005 
			  24 October 2005 
			  30 March 2006 
			   
			   
			 Orange Order 23 January 2006 
			  2 February 2006 
			   
			 UUP 30 March2006 
		
	
	As Minister for Social Development I have also met representatives from the parties on other occasions in different ministerial capacities during the 12 month period.

Model United Nations General Assembly

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much funding the Model United Nations General Assembly has received from his Department in each of the last five years; and how much funding has been allocated for the next three years;
	(2)  what his assessment is of the contribution to reconciliation in Northern Ireland made by the Model United Nations General Assembly organised by the Council for Education in World Citizenship Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: Model United Nations General Assembly is organised by the Council for Education in World Citizenship NI (CEWC NI). The Department of Education funded CEWC (NI) through its Community Relations Core Funding Scheme for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2004, total funding £136,584. A breakdown for each of the last five financial years is displayed in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 39,918 
			 2002-03 51,201 
			 2003-04 45,465 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 Total 136,584 
		
	
	The overt objectives of the Model United Nations General Assembly (MUNGA) are not around reconciliation in Northern Ireland. However, it is recognised that any programme that widens the experience of young people in the context of Global Citizenship and their understanding diversity has merit.
	The next round of core funding, 2007-10, was launched on 5 July 2006 and CEWC (NI) are welcome to apply. All applications will be judged on how they meet the scheme's criteria/objectives.

MRSA

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many MRSA related deaths have there been in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years  (a) in total and  (b) in each hospital.

David Hanson: Causes of death are classified by International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the current version of which does not have a specific code for MRSA. However statistics on deaths where MRSA was a contributing factor can be obtained by identifying deaths registered with specific conditions likely to be linked with MRSA and then checking whether MRSA was recorded on the death certificate.
	The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, 2001-05, where MRSA was mentioned on the death certificate. The figures relate to all deaths where MRSA was mentioned on the death certificate, regardless of whether it was the primary cause of death or not. Figures are classified by place of death, which need not be the place of infection.
	
		
			  MRSA related deaths by place of death, 2001-05 
			  Place of death  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005( 2) 
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 1 7 1 4 4 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 1 1 4 7 7 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 1 1 1 — 3 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 1 7 2 5 9 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust — — 2 2 4 
			 Green Park HSS Trust — — — — 1 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust — 3 3 1 6 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 2 — 1 — 1 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 2 1 2 4 6 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 1 — 2 5 3 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals HSS Trust 6 4 1 2 8 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 1 1 4 4 5 
			 Other(1) 1 1 7 10 12 
			 Total 17 26 30 44 69 
			 (1 )Other place of death includes deaths in Nursing Homes or in the home.(2) Provisional data.

Pollution

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) private citizens and  (b) businesses in Northern Ireland have been prosecuted for causing pollution from (i) septic tanks and (ii) heating oil tanks in each of the last three years; and what the total amount paid out in each category was in each year.

David Cairns: In the last three years, no private citizens have been prosecuted by Environment and Heritage Service for causing pollution from heating oil tanks, as the severity and environmental impact of these incidents have not warranted prosecution.
	In the last 3 years, one private citizen has been prosecuted by Environment and Heritage Service for causing pollution from a septic tank. The incident occurred in 2003, and the owner of the septic tank was fined £2,000 and court costs of £16 were awarded against the offender.
	The following figures outline the number of prosecutions taken in respect of oil pollution incidents caused by industry since 2003:
	
		
			  Year in which incident occurred  Number of cases  Costs awarded (£)  Fines imposed (£) Cases still pending 
			 2003 7 1,337 7,400 — 
			 2004 4 10,645 4,600 — 
			 2005 6 206 300 8 
			 Total 17 12,188 12,300 —

Substitute Teachers

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements his Department has in place to undertake background criminal conviction checks on substitute teachers.

Maria Eagle: It is the responsibility of each employing authority to ensure that criminal record checks are carried out on prospective employees in line with guidance provided by my Department on the recruitment of people to work with children and young people in educational settings.
	The Northern Ireland Teachers Substitute Register (NISTR) was made available to all schools from March 2004. All teachers on the register have an initial pre-employment criminal record check carried out and a vetting check carried out every two years thereafter. With effect from 1 September 2006, only substitute teachers who are on the NISTR should be employed to work in schools.

Valuation and Lands Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Valuation and Lands Agency use of geocode data in its automated valuation model includes data on proximity to geographic features or facilities.

David Hanson: Geocode data does not contain data on proximity to geographic features or facilities.

Accession State Workers

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether funding given to Sheffield city council for issues related to accession state citizens may be used for  (a) advice workers,  (b) interpreting services and  (c) repatriation costs.

Liam Byrne: The sum in question (£44,250) was made available to Sheffield city council primarily for the purpose of repatriating destitute accession state nationals. It was however specified that any remaining funding could be used for the council to meet associated costs, including provision advice workers and interpreters.

Driving Offences

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to make the offence of driving while disqualified a matter for the Crown courts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The offence of driving while disqualified is a summary only offence and carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a level five fine (£5,000) and six penalty points. The Government have no plans to increase the maximum penalty or to change the summary trial process to an indictable one for this offence. Most bad driving offences are triable summarily, and it is only the more serious offences, with higher maximum penalties (such as causing death by dangerous driving and causing death when under influence of drink or drugs) that are triable on indictment.

Driving Offences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in each  (a) London borough and  (b) constituency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants found guilty at the Crown Court of causing death by dangerous driving in Greater London, broken down by committing court is shown in the table. The courts' data enables boroughs to be separately identified in outer London, but not in inner London. We are unable to provide convictions for each London constituency, as the data is not available at the level of detail required. Figures for 2005 will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving, in Greater London, broken down by committing court, 2000 to 2004( 1) 
			  Magistrates court/borough  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  City of London Police  
			 Guildhall Justice Rooms 1 — — — — 
			 Total City of London Police 1 — — — — 
			   
			  Metropolitan Police  
			  Inner London magistrates courts  
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge 2 3 3 2 3 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich 2 1 2 — — 
			 Highbury Corner 1 2 — — 1 
			 Horseferry Road 1 — 1 — 1 
			 South Western — 1 1 2 — 
			 Thames 1 3 — 2 — 
			 West London — — 3 1 — 
			   
			  Outer London boroughs  
			 Barking and Dagenham — 1 1 1 1 
			 Barnet 2 — — 3 2 
			 Bexley — — 3 — — 
			 Brent — 1 1 1 — 
			 Bromley — — 1 1 1 
			 Croydon — — 1 — 2 
			 Ealing 3 2 1 1 1 
			 Haringey — — — 1 1 
			 Harrow — — 1 1 1 
			 Havering 2 — 1 — 1 
			 Hillingdon — 2 — — — 
			 Hounslow 1 1 1 3 — 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames — 1 — 1 1 
			 Merton — — 1 3 1 
			 Newham 1 — 1 1 — 
			 Redbridge 1 — 1 1 1 
			 Sutton — — 1 1 — 
			 Waltham Forest — — — 2 1 
			 Total Metropolitan Police 17 18 25 28 19 
			   
			 Total Greater London 18 18 25 28 19 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.   Source:  RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Human Trafficking

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which countries people convicted of human trafficking came in each of the past five years.

Vernon Coaker: The nationalities of the people convicted of trafficking offences in the last five years are Albania, Kosovan, Macedonian, Lithuanian, Turkish, Chinese, Moldovan and Thai.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to letters of  (a) 21 December 2005,  (b) 3 February 2006 and  (c) 12 May 2006 from the hon. Member for Richmond Park, regarding the immigration case of his constituent, Mrs. Ifeoma Ngozi Hewlett (née Exebilo), Home Office reference number E114243.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 June 2006
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 26 June.

Parole

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1705W, on parole, what measures have been put in place since 2001-02 to reduce the number of parolees breaking the terms of their release.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Probation National Standards require breach action to be considered after one unacceptable failure to comply with the sentence. Where breach action is not undertaken after one unacceptable failure to comply, a formal written warning of the consequences of further failure may be issued. Ultimately breach or recall action will be taken after the offender's third unacceptable failure to comply. The target for the national probation service to take such enforcement action within 10 working days is in 90 per cent. of cases. In 2001-02 the enforcement rate for all offenders released on licence was 58 per cent. In 2005-06, this had improved to 93 per cent. The Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements were introduced in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 and came into effect in April 2001. They were strengthened through the Criminal Justice Act 2003. They provide the framework for the police, prison and probation services to supervise the most serious sexual and violent offenders and to take swift enforcement action where such offenders engage in behaviour which demonstrates a risk of harm to the public.

Prisons

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to ensure that prison libraries have an adequate stock of Welsh and Welsh language  (a) books,  (b) periodicals and  (c) newspapers for the use of prisoners from Wales; and how much was spent on providing them in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 10 July 2006
	Prison Service Order 6710 on prison libraries requires the library to cater for the informational, cultural, occupational and recreational needs of all prisoners. Each prison, in conjunction with the local public library authority who provide library services in prisons, ensures that the individual needs of the establishment are met, and follows quality and performance indicators which require a range of materials, such as books, magazines and newspapers, are made available in a range of languages. Because of this local approach to meeting the individual needs of offenders the amount spent on providing such material is not collected centrally.

Reoffending

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reoffending rates have been of  (a) adults,  (b) young offenders and  (c) juveniles who have served (i) custodial and (ii) community sentences, in each of the last nine years for which figures are available, broken down by offence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent publication for adult reoffending is "Adult Re-offending: Results from the 2002 cohort", Home Office Statistical Bulletin 25/05', available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb2505.pdf
	Similarly for juveniles the most recent publication is "Juvenile Re-offending: Results from the 2004 Cohort", Home Office On-Line Report 10/06, available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1006.pdf
	Both of these publications hold breakdowns by those who served custodial or community sentences, age and offence. The section "Measuring Re-offending", which begins on page one of both reports, explains the difference between reconviction and re-offending measures, as well the changes to the data source used for these computations. Because of the change in methodology, figures for previous years are not comparable.

Victim's Personal Statement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the introduction of the victim's personal statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Victim Personal Statement (VPS) scheme was introduced in 2001 after pilot projects confirmed the demand for a victim statement scheme. The VPS provides victims with a formal opportunity to tell criminal justice agencies and individuals dealing with their case how the crime has affected them—physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially or in any other way. Victims groups tell us that victims want the opportunity of having a voice in the criminal justice system. However, we are aware that there are some concerns about the level of take-up and the purpose of the scheme. Throughout the summer we will be consulting in more depth with victims, victims groups and criminal justice agency staff on how the scheme is working, in order to assess what, if any, improvements could be made to its operation. The Government are also currently piloting Victims' Advocates at five Crown courts. The pilots allow the relatives of murder and manslaughter victims to make a statement to the court about the effect of the crime on them after conviction and before sentence. The statement can be made by the relative orally as if giving evidence, read out by an independent or CPS lawyer, or given in writing.

China

Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department has made to the Chinese government in relation to human rights abuses in Tibet; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We regularly raise human rights, including Tibet, with the Chinese government. My hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. Ian Pearson) raised Tibet with the Chinese government on 7 April 2006. Human rights in Tibet, and a number of individual cases of concern, were discussed at the latest rounds of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in May and the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on3 July. We will continue to raise concerns about human rights abuses in Tibet at every appropriate opportunity, including during my own visit to China this week.

North Korea

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the recent testing of North Korean inter-continental ballistic missiles.

Ian McCartney: Ahead of the launch of the Taepodong-2 missile/Satellite Launch Vehicle, we made clear our view to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as did the EU, US, Japan and others that this would be seen as a provocative act, which would add considerable tension to an already complex regional situation. We strongly urge the Government of the DPRK to refrain from any further provocation and adhere to its commitments under the 1999 moratorium and the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration. We also call upon the Government of the DPRK to rejoin the Six Party Talks immediately to demonstrate their commitment to resolve these issues.

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Warrior Infantry Fighting vehicles are being deployed to Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: There are currently no Warrior vehicles in Afghanistan. The suitability of the current force package in Afghanistan is kept under regular review and future deployments will be tailored appropriately based on an assessment of the expected operational tempo and conditions.

Afghanistan

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will assess the effectiveness of the allocations of spares for Apache helicopters in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 6 July 2006
	Our initial assessment is that the level of spares support to Apache Attack helicopters in Afghanistan has been effective. The level of spares support is monitored on a continuing basis.

Defence Bodies (Mergers)

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the proposed merger of the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation is expected to cost; what the purpose of the merger is; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 10 July 2006
	The detailed structure of the new organisation, formed by merging the Defence Procurement Agency and Defence Logistics Organisation will be addressed during implementation. However, it is not expected that the merger itself will involve significant additional costs beyond those arising from the proposal to collocate elements of the two organisations. The purpose of merging the two organisations is to provide a greater unity of purpose in acquisition; to improve support to our armed forces, and to provide best value for them and the taxpayer.

Helicopters

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the armed forces are expected to take delivery of the 70 extra helicopters planned to be procured by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We expect to take delivery of the 70 Future Lynx helicopters under order from 2012 to 2017.

Helicopters

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helicopters he has ordered for delivery between 2006 and 2016, broken down by type.

Adam Ingram: A contract for the delivery of 70 Future Lynx aircraft was signed in June 2006 between the Ministry of Defence and Westland Helicopters Ltd. A total of 66 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered before the end of 2016.
	In addition, a contract with Lockheed Martin for the upgrade of 30 of our current Merlin Mk1 aircraft was announced in January 2006. The first of these upgrades is expected to enter service in 2013, with all being completed before the end of 2016.

Non-British Commonwealth Armed Forces

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-British Commonwealth citizens are serving in the armed forces, broken down by country of origin.

Adam Ingram: The number of non-British Commonwealth citizens serving in the UK Regular Armed Forces at 1 April 2006, broken down by country of origin, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  UK Regular Forces( 1)  with Commonwealth nationality other than British at 1 April 2006 
			  Country  Naval Service  Army  Royal Air Force( 2) 
			 Total non-British Commonwealth Service personnel 395 6,410 125 
			 Antigua and Barbuda (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Australia 10 75 10 
			 Bangladesh (4)— 5 (3)— 
			 Barbados (4)— 10 (4)— 
			 Belize (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Botswana (3)— 5 (3)— 
			 Cameroon (3)— 20 (3)— 
			 Canada 15 60 20 
			 Cyprus (4)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Dominica (4)— 10 (3)— 
			 Fiji Islands 75 1,995 5 
			 The Gambia (4)— 80 (4)— 
			 Ghana (4)— 660 (4)— 
			 Grenada (4)— 50 (3)— 
			 Guyana (3)— 15 (3)— 
			 India 5 45 (4)— 
			 Jamaica 25 975 25 
			 Kenya 5 105 5 
			 Malawi (4)— 95 (4)— 
			 Malaysia (4)— 5 (4)— 
			 Malta (4)— 5 (4)— 
			 Mauritius (4)— 25 (4)— 
			 Namibia (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 New Zealand 5 65 5 
			 Nigeria (4)— 65 (3)— 
			 Pakistan (4)— 10 (4)— 
			 Papua New Guinea (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Seychelles (3)— 10 (3)— 
			 Sierra Leone (3)— 45 (3)— 
			 Singapore (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 South Africa 45 720 10 
			 Sri Lanka (3)— 15 (4)— 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis (3)— (4)— (4)— 
			 St. Lucia 5 225 (4)— 
			 St. Vincent and the Grenadines 130 280 (4)— 
			 Swaziland (3)— 10 (3)— 
			 Tanzania (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Tonge (3)— 5 (3)— 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 20 70 10 
			 Uganda (3)— 40 (3)— 
			 Zambia (4)— 20 (3)— 
			 Zimbabwe(5) 15 565 5 
			 Other West Indies(6) (4)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Other non-British Commonwealth(7) (3)— 15 (3)— 
			 (1) Data are for UK Regular Forces (trained and untrained), including Nursing Services and excluding full-time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.(2) Royal Air Force data are for personnel serving at 6 March 2006. They include personnel who at that date had attested but have not begun basic training.(3 )Denotes zero or rounded to zero.(4) Denotes fewer than five.(5) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as Rhodesian.(6) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as West Indian, but with no country specified.(7) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as British Commonwealth/Foreign. Note:Data are rounded to the nearest five to prevent disclosure of sensitive information.

Service Children (Education)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of children in service children's education schools achieved  (a) five grades A*-C at GCSE and  (b) five grades A-G at GCSE in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The percentage of children in Service Children's Education Schools that achieved 5 grades A*-C at GCSE in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Service Children's Education 
			   5+ A*-C (Percentage) 
			 1997 44 
			 1998 48 
			 1999 47 
			 2000 52 
			 2001 48 
			 2002 57 
			 2003 60 
			 2004 62 
			 2005 60 
		
	
	The percentage of children in Service Children's Education schools that achieved 5 grades A-G at GCSE in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Service Children's Education 
			   5+ A-G (Percentage) 
			 1997 70 
			 1998 70 
			 1999 79 
			 2000 85 
			 2001 76 
			 2002 98 
			 2003 99 
			 2004 98 
			 2005 97

Service Children (Education)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of children in Service Children's Education schools achieved level 4+ at key stage 2 in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The percentage of children in Service Children's Education schools that have achieved level 4+ at key stage 2 in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  Service Children's Education 
			  Percentage 
			   English  Mathematics  Science 
			 1997 71 73 78 
			 1998 74 68 79 
			 1999 73 70 81 
			 2000 75 72 88 
			 2001 76 69 91 
			 2002 75 78 91 
			 2003 77 76 91 
			 2004 82 75 91 
			 2005 83 75 89

Alcohol Treatment (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase access to specialist alcohol treatment services in Gloucestershire; what has been allocated to such services in 2006-07; and how that budget is allocated.

Caroline Flint: The Department's guidance on local programmes of improvement for alcohol treatment services was launched in November 2005. This is aimed at the local national health service, local authorities, voluntary bodies, and others seeking to work with the NHS to tackle alcohol misuse.
	Access to specialist treatment services is a matter for local primary care trusts (PCTs), who are responsible for improving the match of treatment provision they commission to the need of the local population for services. Information is not held centrally on local budgets.
	It is estimated that £217 million is currently being spent by PCTs on alcohol treatment. An additional£15 million has been allocated to all PCTs to improve alcohol services from 2007-08 onwards. Around 63,000 people are receiving treatment from specialist services, with additional people receiving treatment and support from their general practitioners.

Blood Donors

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the extent of the risk posed by women who give blood and engage in anal intercourse without then notifying the National Blood Service; and whether heterosexual women who engage in anal intercourse are considered high risk blood donors.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom blood services together with the Health Protection Agency continually monitor donors who test positive for markers of infection with HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis and Human T cell lymphotropic virus. Part of this process involves interviewing donors to determine the risk factors underlying their infection. This process has not suggested that heterosexual anal intercourse is a major risk factor for transmitting the infections tested for by the UK blood services.
	Other limited data available in the published literature do not suggest that within the UK, heterosexual anal intercourse, when compared to vaginal intercourse, is a major risk factor for the transmission of HIV or other transfusion transmissible infections.

Climate Change

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of climate change on the demand for health services.

Caroline Flint: The report(1) on the "Effects of Climate Change on Health in the UK", published in 2001, concluded that though an increase in illness due to hot weather was likely as the climate changed, this would be offset by a decline in the effects of cold weather. If effects on deaths can be taken as a guide to the demands on the health services it is likely that the decrease in cold weather-associated deaths will outweigh the increase in hot-weather associated deaths during the coming 50 or so years.
	The Department has produced a plan(2) for dealing with the effects of unusual spells of hot weather titled "Heatwave Plan 2006".
	(1 )Climate Change report
	www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCare Topics/AirPollution/AirPollutionGeneralInformation/fs/en
	(2) Heatwave Plan 2006
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/DearColleagueLetters/DearColleagueLettersArticle/fs/en? CONTENT_ID=4135294&chk=pWbz44

Dentistry

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many custom-made dental appliances were prescribed in 2005-06; and how many custom-made dental appliances have been prescribed since April 2006.

Rosie Winterton: There were 3.7 million payment claims for items of service that involved custom-made dental appliances made to the Dental Practice Board during the twelve months ending 31 March 2006.
	The information is not available in this form under the new system of dental remuneration. Providers of general dental service and personal dental services now have an agreed annual contract value, which is paid in 12 monthly payments instalments. In return for this contract value, the provider carries out over the course of the year an agreed number of units of dental activity that corresponds to overall course of treatment. The provider no longer has to submit data on the individual items of service within each course of treatment. Any dental appliances prescribed within a course of treatment are a matter for individual clinical judgment.

Health Care (Shropshire)

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients classified as obese there were in each GP practice area in Shropshire, in each year from 2000 to 2005;
	(2)  how many patients suffered a stroke in each GP practice area in Shropshire, in each year from 2000 to 2005;
	(3)  how many patients with  (a) asthma,  (b) clinical depression,  (c) diabetes and  (d) autism were registered with each GP practice area in Shropshire, in each year from 2000 to 2005.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Information at general practitioner (GP) practice level is not collected for clinical depression, autism, and obesity.
	Information at GP practice level has been collected for asthma, diabetes and stroke, at GP practice level since 2004-05. Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available.
	The following tables show the practice list size and the number of patients in each GP practice within Shropshire County Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Telford and Wrekin PCT with: stroke and transient ischaemic attack; diabetes; and asthma.
	
		
			  Quality and outcomes framework (QOF) for April 2004 to March 2005, number on QOF disease registers by practice 
			 Shropshire County PCT  Practice list size  Stroke and transient ischaemic attack register count  Diabetes register count  Asthma register count 
			  10,202 191 283 646 
			  15,445 386 556 953 
			  8,352 186 287 580 
			  12,421 288 533 957 
			  7,385 220 260 402 
			  16,124 279 532 839 
			  3,281 67 138 247 
			  3,761 51 143 231 
			  8,579 184 326 547 
			  5,272 80 214 266 
			  9,608 248 287 673 
			  4,598 103 183 320 
			  5,242 160 163 467 
			  8,225 138 257 584 
			  3,043 40 82 106 
			  8,639 203 363 657 
			  11,726 188 461 764 
			  5,643 91 174 410 
			  2,777 55 71 143 
			  7,224 202 315 529 
			  6,762 113 224 440 
			  6,148 184 221 498 
			  3,451 77 163 160 
			  7,479 130 236 494 
			  5,217 128 161 281 
			  7,592 136 289 526 
			  9,005 238 352 655 
			  9,743 135 315 628 
			  4,241 71 130 276 
			  6,093 121 229 454 
			  7,183 156 312 473 
			  4,748 101 196 311 
			  4,279 98 198 344 
			  3,366 79 120 340 
			  6,578 133 210 582 
			  5,209 116 179 333 
			  6,849 118 275 527 
			  4,664 80 122 311 
			  3,880 74 149 262 
			  4,284 46 151 198 
			  7,420 128 204 545 
			  2,163 57 114 121 
			  1,934 42 67 104 
			  3,174 88 108 196 
		
	
	
		
			  Telford and Wrekin PCT  Practice list size  Stroke and transient ischaemic attack register count  Diabetes register count  Asthma register count 
			  2,782 32 87 161 
			  12,889 126 368 1,014 
			  10,066 151 483 567 
			  10,667 184 398 568 
			  11,657 188 412 765 
			  8,697 73 331 562 
			  12,807 218 508 809 
			  16,634 374 818 1,338 
			  20,341 367 799 1,181 
			  6,987 105 225 540 
			  2,732 16 92 203 
			  3,364 21 125 152 
			  11,290 128 273 613 
			  4,132 11 95 121 
			  9,342 70 192 668 
			  3,535 36 83 277 
			  2,817 24 81 108 
			  2,319 6 43 166 
			  2,478 13 85 188 
			  4,376 78 131 302 
			  1,781 6 54 111 
			  4,058 28 97 230 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care: QMAS database—2004-05 data as at end of June 2005

Obesity

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) children and  (b) adults were (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index according to the Government's most recent health surveys in each (A) London borough and (B) constituency; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and adults is the Health Survey for England (HSE). Data is not available in the format requested. Tables one to three show the most recent data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adults. In all the tables overweight excludes obese and data is only available for males/females. The sample size of the HSE does not allow data to be produced at the level of boroughs or individual constituencies.
	Table 1 presents data on overweight and obesity among adults in each of the strategic health authorities (SHA) within the London Government Office Region (GOR) as a three-year average over the period 2000-02.
	
		
			  Table 1: prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults( 1)  in each London SHA, by gender (three-year average) 2000-02 
			  England 
			   Percentage 
			   North East London  North West London  North Central London  South East London  South West London 
			  Men  
			 Overweight 40.9 41.9 39.4 43.3 46.7 
			 Obese 17.4 14.4 18.1 17.9 22.6 
			   
			  Women  
			 Overweight 34.5 28.9 31.5 33.5 28.3 
			 Obese 23.8 22.1 18.8 20.5 25.9 
			 (1) All aged 16 and over. Source:Health and lifestyle indicators for SHAs, 1994 to 2002 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the prevalence of overweight and obese adults in England in 2004.
	
		
			  Table 2: prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults( 1)  in England, 2004( 2) 
			  England 
			   Men  Women 
			 Overweight (percentage) 43.9 33.9 
			 Obese (percentage) 22.7 23.2 
			 Bases (number) 39,244 39,802 
			 (1) All aged 16 and over.(2) Figures are weighted for non-response. Source:Health and lifestyle indicators for SHAs, 1994 to 2002 
		
	
	Table 3 shows the proportion of children aged two to 15 estimated to be overweight and obese in England in 2004.
	
		
			  Table 3: prevalence of overweight and obesity among children( 1)  in England, 2004( 2) 
			  England 
			   Boys  Girls 
			 Overweight (percentage) 13.9 16.6 
			 Obese (percentage) 19.2 18.5 
			 Bases (number) 8,833 8,228 
			 (1) Aged two to 15.(2) Figures are weighted for non-response. Source:Health Survey for England 2004—updating of trend tables to include 2004 data

Post-operative Mortality Rate

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the post-operative mortality rate has been in NHS hospitals in each year since 1997; what assessment she has made of the post-operative mortality rate in other developed countries; what steps she is taking to reduce the post-operative mortality rate; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The specific information as requested in not collected centrally.
	The National Centre of Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) publishes data on post-operative death rates for emergency procedures. This is available for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities for the last six years up to 2003-04. This is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Deaths within 30 days of a hospital procedure: surgery (non-elective admissions) 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04 
			 Number of Completed in-patient spells—Denominator 337,430 350,864 347,810 348,459 358,147 367,400 
			 Number of deaths—Numerator 18,295 18,258 17,553 17,001 17,272 17,273 
			 Standardised Postoperative death rate(1) 5,363.7 5,223.8 5,002.7 4,878.9 4,917.1 4,850.2 
			 (1) Precisely: the indirectly age, sex and OPCS4 chapter/selected sub-chapter standardised rate per 100,000 people. Source: Hospital Episodes Statistics, NCHOD financial year—February 2005 and National Statistics Indirectly age and sex standardised rates per 100,000 peopleStandardised to persons 2001-02 
		
	
	Post-operative death rates by trust are also published by the Healthcare Commission as part of trusts' star ratings. The latest information is available for the calendar year 2004 at:
	ratings2005.healthcarecommission.org.uk/Trust/Indicator/indicators.asp?trustType=l
	There are no comprehensive reviews available on international comparisons of post-operative mortality rates.
	The level of risk is dependent upon the type of operation. There are many different operations carried out with different risks. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence through its guidance, National Patient Safety Agency through its national reporting and learning system and patient safety solutions and the national confidential enquiry into patient outcome and death work to improve standards of healthcare for the benefit of the public.

Rheumatology Consultants

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many rheumatology consultants there are per head of population in England.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of rheumatology consultants there are per head of population in England.
	
		
			  Hospital and community health services (HCHS): medical and dental consultants working in the rheumatology specialty, England as at 30 September 2005 
			  Number (headcount) 
			   Number  Consultants per 100,000 head of population( 1) 
			 Consultants 31,993 63.9 
			  Of which:   
			 Rheumatology 505 1.0 
			 (1) Population figures are taken from the 2001 ONS resident estimates. 2005 population data at SHA level is not yet available, therefore, 2004 population data has been used in 2005 calculations. Due to this, calculations for 2005 are subject to change. Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 2001 Office of National Statistics Population Census

Smoking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding the Government plan to provide to local authorities to implement the proposed smoking ban.

Caroline Flint: Under the regulation making powers in clause 10 of the Health Bill the Government intends to designate local authorities as the enforcement authorities for smoke-free legislation.
	As set out in the "Choosing Health White Paper", the Government have always committed to provide adequate funding for local authorities to undertake this work, in line with the "New Burdens Doctrine". Discussions are currently taking place with stakeholders, including the Local Government Association, on the detail of arrangements for enforcement.

Terminal Patients

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms exist to prompt healthcare professionals to discuss special rules claims for  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) attendance allowance with (i) patients with a terminal disease and (ii) carers of patients with a terminal diagnosis.

Rosie Winterton: It would not be appropriate for healthcare professionals to advise people about claiming benefits to which they might be entitled.
	The Government recognises that finance is an issue of great importance to people with serious illness. Departmental officials are working with those in the Department for Work and Pensions, which has the expertise and knowledge to inform people about arrangements for claiming benefits and their entitlement to different benefits, to take steps for patients to be signposted to benefits information.

Tetanus

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with tetanus in each month since March 1997.

Caroline Flint: Data on the notifications of cases of tetanus by age group and sex for England and Wales for the period 1969 to 2005 are shown in the table and is also available on the Health Protection Agency website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/tetanus/data_not_age_ sex.htm
	
		
			   Age group (years) 
			   0-4  5-14  15-24  25-44 
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female 
			 1969 0 0 4 0 1 0 3 1 
			 1970 2 0 4 0 2 1 1 1 
			 1971 1 0 2 3 3 0 3 0 
			 1972 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 3 
			 1973 0 1 2 1 1 1 3 0 
			 1974 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 2 
			 1975 1 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 
			 1976 0 1 1 0 2 0 3 1 
			 1977 0 0 0 1 1 0 3 0 
			 1978 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 1979 0 0 0 0 4 1 4 0 
			 1980 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 
			 1981 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 
			 1982 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 
			 1983 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 1984 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 1985 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 
			 1986 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 
			 1987 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 1988 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 
			 1989 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 1 
			 1990 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 1991 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 1992 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 
			 1993 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 
			 1994 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 1995 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 1996 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 1997 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 1998 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 1999 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 2000 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 2001 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 2002 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 
			 2004 0 0 2 0 0 2 (1)4 1 
			 2005(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Age group (years)  
			   45-64  >65  Not known  All ages  
			   Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Male  Female  Total 
			 1969 2 3 3 0 1 1 14 5 19 
			 1970 1 0 2 8 0 0 12 10 22 
			 1971 1 5 2 4 0 0 12 12 24 
			 1972 1 1 4 5 0 0 11 9 20 
			 1973 1 3 2 7 0 0 9 13 22 
			 1974 2 2 1 1 0 0 8 8 16 
			 1975 3 3 5 7 0 0 12 12 24 
			 1976 1 2 3 1 0 0 10 5 15 
			 1977 3 0 2 6 0 0 9 7 16 
			 1978 2 5 2 3 0 0 6 9 15 
			 1979 2 2 1 6 0 0 11 9 20 
			 1980 4 4 2 2 0 0 10 8 18 
			 1981 4 1 1 2 0 1 10 5 15 
			 1982 0 2 3 5 0 0 4 8 12 
			 1983 2 1 0 1 0 0 4 2 6 
			 1984 1 3 0 1 0 0 2 4 6 
			 1985 1 1 1 6 0 0 3 9 12 
			 1986 2 0 1 4 0 0 5 6 11 
			 1987 2 0 4 1 0 0 6 3 9 
			 1988 3 0 1 2 0 0 6 6 12 
			 1989 2 2 1 5 0 0 7 9 16 
			 1990 1 1 2 4 0 0 3 6 9 
			 1991 0 2 2 2 0 0 3 5 8 
			 1992 0 0 2 0 2 0 5 1 6 
			 1993 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 8 8 
			 1994 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 3 
			 1995 0 2 1 1 0 1 2 4 6 
			 1996 1 0 1 3 1 0 4 3 7 
			 1997 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 6 7 
			 1998 1 2 0 3 0 0 2 5 7 
			 1999 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 3 
			 2000 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 
			 2001 2 0 2 1 0 0 5 1 6 
			 2002 1 2 1 0 0 0 2 2 4 
			 2003 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6 8 
			 2004 2 1 0 0 0 0 (1)8 4 (1)12 
			 2005(2) 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 3 
			 (1) Includes one duplicate report from 2003(2) Provisional. Note:Last update: 11 April 2006 Sources:Registrar General's Annual ReportOffice for National Statistics Communicable Disease Statistics Series MB2CDSC, Notifications of Infectious Diseases

Advertising Campaigns

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what advertising campaigns her Department has run since July 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Patrick McFadden: Significant advertising campaigns in support of specific policies are managed centrally through Cabinet Office Communication Group and placed through the Central Office of Information (COI).
	Details of advertising costs are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Campaign  Period  Expenditure (£) 
			  2004-05   
			 Preparing for Emergencies July-August (1)2,000,000 
			 Direct Gov September 2004-March 2005 306,471 
			 Fast Stream Recruitment Throughout year 81,000 
			 Departmental recruitment Throughout year 236,828 
			  2005-06   
			 Direct Gov March 2006 864,732 
			 Do the Honours Campaign January-March 2006 21,217 
			 Fast Stream recruitment Throughout year 47,888 
			 Departmental recruitment Throughout year 201,647 
			  2006-07   
			 Fast Stream recruitment Throughout year 15,935 
			 Departmental recruitment Throughout year 514 
			 (1) This was the Cabinet Office contribution to a cross government campaign.

Charity Commission

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many officials of the Charity Commission were formerly employed  (a) in the Civil Service,  (b) in the Home Office,  (c) elsewhere in the public sector,  (d) in the private sector and  (e) in the voluntary sector;
	(2)  how many former Home Office employees work at each grade in the Charity Commission.

David Miliband: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales; The Executive Director of Charity Information and Corporate Services at the Charity Commission will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 315W, on correspondence, what estimate she has made of the cost of answering the question; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: It is not possible to separately identify the average cost of officials' time in replying to letters from hon. Members and members of the public. Such correspondence is often of a varied and complex nature. Therefore any exercise to determine the average cost in officials' time in responding to letters would incur disproportionate cost.
	It is not possible to separately identify stationery and postage costs for the Department when replying to correspondence from hon. Members and members of the public.

Departmental Publications

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the unnumbered command papers produced by her Department in each session since 1976; by what means  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public can (i) inspect and (ii) obtain copies; and if she will make a statement.

David Miliband: Documents which are laid before Parliament as unnumbered Command Papers are generally restricted to Explanatory Notes to Treaties, Explanatory Memorandum to Statutory Instruments and some Treasury Minutes. All other documents are published in the Numbered Command Papers series.
	A complete list of unnumbered command papers is not collected centrally.

Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what guidance she produces for other Government Departments on answering a similar or identical question tabled to each Government Department; what criteria she uses in selecting the questions to provide guidance on; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: The Government made clear in its response to the Third Report of Session 2003-04 from the Public Administration Select Committee, that while Government Departments may liaise with each other when they receive the same question, this co-ordination
	"does not cut across the line of ministerial accountability which is that it is for individual Ministers to decide on the final content of an answer to a parliamentary question".(1)
	(1) Page 3, HC 1262, Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report—First Special Report of Session 2003-04